I'm new to Australia and Perth, where i am living. I joined this forum because i needed to speak to like minded women about cycling.

I was on my dutch bike, commuting home when a little boy started riding very close to me. I performed evasive manoeuvres but he continued to stick to my tail. I thought he was being mischievous but he shortly lifted my handbag from my back basket (which was just sitting there without being secured down) and made off with it.

I'm still in shock and i was wondering whether any of you ladies had experiences with bike crime and how you dealt with it, and also what security measures do you employ? I am personally scared of cycling alone now and i have not cycled alone since, which impinges on my freedom.

Also, if you are as naive as me, then please do not perform the same mistake as i did. Also, if anyone continues to sit on your tail, they mean you harm!!!

Sorry to hear about what happened, suggest you use jockey straps to tie your staff down, get a D-lock and have it on top of your stuff so if the little !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! does it again... smack him with it

Don't let it ruin your life, !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! happens, my mother got robbed at knife point once she didn't stop going to work because of it. I crash frequently and I don't stop riding my bike.

Sorry to hear this happened to you. There's some real numpties out there with miserable lives and they take delight in ruining other people's days.

When and where did this happen? It is important that other cyclists are aware of the area so that it cannot be repeated.

I have panniers and it is hard to remove them so to speak. Did you contact the police and give them a description of the offender? He may strike again. Hope you get on the bike soon though. I'd avoid the area for now until you get your confidence back again.

It happened as i was ascending the narrow's bridge from the city towards South Perth. If you are facing South Perth, it was on the left side.

I'm not so sure about panniers as being difficult to rob. I've got panniers too but they are quick release and any thief on a bike who knew his stuff could take it. Now if i use a pannier i shall make sure that the shoulder strap is around the seat post, so even if they manage to dislodge it from the rack, it's still secured by the seat post (cue paranoid behaviour).

I guess I am the unlucky one out of this forum from your replies. Contacted the police and have done everything possible to catch the criminal.

Dieseldawn wrote: i shall make sure that the shoulder strap is around the seat post

This is what I do when I am using the basket instead of panniers. I always feel a little paranoid when I do, but after hearing your story I'm glad I do. I hope this experience doesn't keep you off the bike for long.

Also sorry to hear this happened, losing a handbag & its contents is a nightmare however it happens. I hope this doesn't spoil your enjoyment of cycling for too long - I have lived in Perth all my life, cycled regularly for 7+ years and would agree with what others have said, this is certainly not a common occurrence. Also agree that carrying the handbag on the front where you can see it would be a deterrent as well as peace of mind for you; or perhaps hide the handbag inside a sports bag or rucksack strapped into to your back basket, so it's not as obviously 'valuable' to passing oxygen thieves.

Since you ask for others' stories I did have a scary experience several years ago - a late-teenage kid on a BMX tried to 'clothesline' me off my bike on a shared path on my way to work early in the morning. I'll spare the details because the point isn't to unnerve you even more, rather to say that I do understand the feeling, and also that problems like this are rare. And I was quite rattled - for a while I would get extremely nervous when people coming the other way made eye contact. But that got better with time as I'm sure things will for you. Since cycling is also a favourite solo activity for me and a matter of independence, I just had to make the decision to dust myself off and not be bested by it. There was nothing I could think of really to do differently from a security / self defence point of view - a friend suggested gaffer taping a screwdriver to my frame, but that seemed unwise and a bit extreme to me. And nothing similar has happened to me since.

Good luck dealing with bank cards / IDs / everything, and I hope you feel able to get back into riding soon.

I thought 'act' was short form for something else, like 'Actuary' or something bizarre. Keep the local lingo coming, one needs to learn.

For all the other ladies - what are your thoughts on cycling with earphones/music in your ears? Do you find that it makes you a target as you are seen to be 'unaware' of your surroundings? Does it interfere with safety in general?

I never cycle with earphones on. Would like to have all my faculties working and aware. I find that there is enough going around that I don't need the distraction of earphones. But occasionally I have succumbed to briefly talking on the mobile while cycling (very slowly).

Hi Dawn, I will occasionally use headphones but only on trails and during the day with not at a high volume. Just loud enough that I can hear other cyclist's bells or calling "passing". As for it making you appear unaware, you could have a point there. Back in my uni days us girls were always told not to walk back to our cars at night while wearing headphones because it made you look like an easy target and unaware. The same could be true here.

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